LEADER Program (Community-based Extension Project)

The Caraga State University (CSU) thru the College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT) conducted year-end undertakings of the community-based extension project dubbed as “LEADER (Literacy, Environment, Advocacy, Development, Economic, and Research) Program” last December 16, 2011 held at the covered court in Dumalagan, Butuan City. The joint activities were: (1) Turn-over of computer set, (2) Updating on the various project components, (3) Year-end Assessment, and (4) Gift-giving initiative.

Despite heavy rainfall, a team spearheaded by the CEIT OIC-Dean, Engr. Alexander T. Demetillo, successfully reached the area for the said occasion in the delight of the locals. The committed group was a composite of BS Agricultural Engineering (BSAE), BS Electronics Engineering (BSEcE), BS Mining Engineering (BSEM), and BS Information Technology (BSIT) students together with the faculty members of both the Engineering Sciences (ES) and the Information Technology (IT) departments. In full support were Engr. Michelle V. Japitana and Mr. Jaymer M. Jayoma, Department Chair of ES and IT, respectively.

The event kicked-off with the multimedia presentation of the Opening Prayer and the National Anthem followed by the welcome remarks of Engr. Demetillo. A powerpoint presentation re “Profile of the CEIT community-based extension program: It’s implementation and future direction” was delivered by Engr. Sonia Ibarra-Buscano, the LEADER Program proponent. Good practices were highlighted as basis for possible replication of the project to other communities.

The Barangay Council members of Dumalagan were introduced by its Chairman, Hon. Edgardo L. Ditchon. Turning-over of computer set and accessories as CSU-CEIT’s donation to barangay Dumalagan was manned by Engr. Demetillo in lieu of Dr. Joanna B. Cuenca, CSU President and Dr. Rowena P. Varela, Vice Pres for Research and Extension, who failed to attend due to bad weather. Moreover, Christmas gift packs were handed-over by the CEIT faculty to the barangay council for distribution to fifty families to be identified by the latter.

Acceptance speech by Hon. Ditchon conveyed deep gratitude from the barangay residents. Hon. Helmar N. Rustria was also given the opportunity to talk in his capacity as Barangay Kagawad and Education Committee Chairman. It was emphasized that they owe a lot to CSU for filling up the needs of the underprivileged schoolchildren on computer literacy. As to the barangay development, they are hoping to elevate their economic status thru some collaborative projects particularly on soil analysis and crop suitability.

A considerable number of attendees were recorded wherein snacks were served during the short programme hosted by Engr. Karoll J. Mordeno, ES faculty. The public was encouraged to raise issues and concerns through the open forum. Afterwards, a brief meeting of the Barangay Council members with the CEIT team was made wrapping-up the one-year partnership in 2011.

I PREPARATION PHASE

The activity was coordinated by the College Extension and Training Committee (CETC) and fully funded by CEIT. Two service vehicles were requested from the administration to shuttle the assigned team to and fro. Gift packs were also prepared by the Mining Engineering Students’ Society, Inc. (MESS-CSU, Inc) officers who assisted in the community–extension undertakings. Several equipments like laptops, projectors, roll up screen, videocam, and cameras were brought to the area for effective presentation, full coverage, and documentation purposes.

II TURN-OVER CEREMONIES

To strengthen CEIT’s commitment for computer literacy and barangay development endeavours in Dumalagan, a computer set with accessories were formally turned-over as a sort of donation. The unit will be maintained by a trainee of the 1st batch which will be further trained in CEIT for higher applications and trouble-shooting.

showed the built-in GIS-based Purok maps of Dumalagan as a component of the Barangay

Development Plan (BDP) enhancement.

Moreover, initial output of the Barangay Dumalagan Information Systems (BDIS) being developed by IT students was discussed by Prof. James V. Presbitero, IT faculty and project adviser.

III ON-GOING PROJECTS

Pipelined projects of the LEADER Program were a collaborative effort with the CEIT students, mostly graduating by March 2012, as part of their thesis work. This is strategized by the college leadership for application-cum-technical exposure of the students.

Aside from the on-going projects, there are new ventures mostly economic-related which focused to the capability building on agricultural development. Engr. Jula Mae E. Beseos, Program Coordinator of BSAE, introduced the three BSAE students who will handle designs of various agricultural equipments and others to do the crop suitability study as outlined below:

A. DEVELOPMENT (Socio-Civic) PROJECTS

* Barangay Development Plan (BDP) formulation (updated)

* Technical Assistance on barangay mapping and profiling

* Training on Barangay Website development

* Technical Assistance on the Establishment of Barangay Information and Accounting Systems

B. ECONOMIC-RELATED PROJECTS

*Capability building on Agricultural Development

-driven Coconut Splitter

ce Evaluation of Mechanical Cardava Pseudostem Chipper

IV PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED

LITERACY (Computer) PROJECTS

*Basic Training of Word Processing and Spreadsheet Application for Barangay and Purok Officials

*Seminar-Workshop on Internet Applications

*Basic computer operation for schoolchildren and out-of -school youth

*Seminar-Workshop on Land Surveying, Rules and Regulations

* Basic Training on Global Positioning System (GPS)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS

*Capability building on Solid Waste Management, Disposal and Treatment

V FUTURE DIRECTION

To formalize the assessment of the community extension in Dumalagan, a pre-assessment was presented by Engr. Sonia Ibarra-Buscano during the 2011 CSU In-House Review held in the CSE Audio Visual Room last December 15, 2011. Worth mentioning was the panel of judges’ highquality appraisal for the good practices being implemented in the LEADER program. The said activity was organized by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension (OVPRE).

The technical review was likewise conveyed during the Year-end assessment in Dumalagan. It was then mutually agreed by both parties during the on-site meeting that MOA will be renewed at the early start of 2012. It is to be noted that a number of scheduled activities in the community needs close coordination. Further, the MOA will be reviewed in a yearly basis to facilitate revisions of the terms of reference (TOR) and specific conditions. It is definitely based on the community needs assessment survey (CNAS) and the capability of CSU-CEIT.

Generally, the first year implementation of the LEADER Program in Dumalagan is found successful though impact to the beneficiary is not easily seen. For this reason, continuous monitoring and evaluation (M & E) of the outlined projects deemed necessary to ensure sustainability. As for the LEADER Program’s future direction, it has to be replicated to other communities making Dumalagan